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Most of Lupe Fiasco's fans know that the production of this CD was like going through hell. All of the drama with Lupe & Atlantic Records on how they wanted the CD to be done; Lupe wanted to stick to what he did best, while Atlantic made it more "radio friendly" so to speak. With all that aside, this is one of the best Hip Hop/Rap Albums to come out in the past few years. While this may of not pleased all Lupe fan's, Lupe still managed to make this own and I enjoyed almost every song on "Lasers". Heres my song by song rundown/review:

1.) Letting Go ft. Sarah GreenThis album immediatly starts of with the goods. "Letting Go" is a very powerful song and Lupe really tells a story on the struggles of Laser's production. You really get the idea of how frustrated he was within the song's lyrics. The chorus grabs your attention and then Lupe just tears it up. Sarah Green dosen't have a huge part, but her part was good for what it is worth.

2.) Words I Never Said ft. Skylar GreyAnother powerful song here. This is one of two current "hits" on lasers, with Skylar Grey contributing in the chorus, which is just as good as her part in "I Need A Doctor" by Eminem & Dre. One thing that I respect about this song is that Lupe actually rapped about politics and world problems, instead of just talking about something completely pointless. If this would of had Grey's hook and some pointless verse's like we mostly hear on the radio today, this would probably be a #1 hit. I'm glad Lupe didn't do that because this one deserves to be a huge hit in it's own right. One of my favorties.

3.) Till I Get ThereThis sounds a lot like a Kid Cudi song to me, infact, a little to much. I enjoyed the flow & beat of the song, but I don't think it was Lupe's best work.Read more ›

Let's get one thing straight: this is not a Lupe Fiasco album! Atlantic Records rejected his version of Lasers years ago and he constantly battled with the label over just about every song. In the end, he "acquiesced" (his words) and decided that something (putting the album out, however mangled by corporate interference) was better than nothing (an unreleased masterpiece).

Now that we've gotten that out of the way: Lasers is awful bubble-gum rap interspersed with moments of brilliance. I'm not someone who is a knee-jerk pop music hater, but how anyone can truly enjoy bland pop electronica like "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" is beyond me. You can hear Lupe's resignation on "Till I Get There" with his monotone flow and the lyrics of the chorus which contain veiled references to his label difficulties. "Out of My Head" is catchy but it's not Lupe. "Beautiful Lasers" sounds tainted because it combines lyrics dealing with his suicidal feelings over a wholly out of place beat. Even the single, "The Show Goes On," sounds forced, although it has Lupe's signature upbeat message for the "kids in the ghetto." (In an interview, Lupe said he was literally told not to go "too deep" lyrically on this track.)

The only tracks that sound like authentic Lupe to me are Letting Go, Words I Never Said, I'm Beaming, and Shining Down (the last two were released some time ago, probably before the label's interference). I hope his next album is better; I'd like to see Eminem add him to the Shady 2.0 roster but I don't think that will happen.

As if it weren't bad enough to ruin our standard of living and our environment, corporations are busy destroying the music of musical geniuses like Lupe Fiasco. He deserves better and so do we.

Lupe Fiasco always got more flak than he deserves. Underground hip-hop fans view Lupe as ersatz Mos Def and Talib Kweli, rather than appreciating his unique gifts. Meanwhile, mainstream listeners never got over the "skateboard rapper" stigma that followed Lupe after "Kick, Push" hit the airwaves, and ignored him over the gaudy mindlessness of "Gucci Mane" and "Wakka Flocka Flame". But one only needs to hear tracks like "Hurt Me Soul", "American Terrorist" or "Little Weapon" to witness Lupe's thematic flexibility and multi-layered lyricism that puts many modern rappers to shame (especially the overplayed Drake and Nicki Minaj). Lupe's 'Food & Liquor' continued where Kanye West's "The College Dropout" left off, and is arguably one the best rap albums of the last decade.

For `Lasers', Lupe confronts yet another critic deriding him for being too deep: his label, Atlantic Records. Unfortunately, they have more influence than the disgruntled rap fan expecting club hits. Despite the combined 7 Grammy nominations 'Food & Liquor' (2006) and 'The Cool' (2008) received, the lack of #1 singles disappointed Atlantic, and they urged Lupe to go for mass appeal. Translation: don't be very thought provoking, or "too lyrical", as Soulja Boi insultingly stated about Lupe on Vibe magazine. Well congratulations! You guys got your insipid wish.

Listening through 'Lasers', it's easy to tell where Lupe's persona strains to break through Atlantic's corporate compromise. Singles "Till I Get There" and "Break the Chain" has Lupe complacently uttering half-hearted announcements about his drive to reach a better future. The production replaces the immersive tunes that supplemented Lupe's lyrics before, and instead goes for generic sounds and choruses that hardly differ from the usual radio fare.Read more ›